Great tip
@Trucker on using honey as a cloning gel. I've never used it but found this on the subject thanks to you. I'm ready to try this myself. Just need to get some fresh honey.:)
How to clone plants using honey
Updated on December 5, 2011
Save your money, use honey.
So you have a great plant, It's growing vigorously, and looking good doing it. Perhaps it's already in it's flowering cycle and it's one of the best plants you've grown, showing some amazing results, what now? Well if you're like me, you probably want to make sure that you clone this plant and keep the genetics going. When looking to clone a plant, there are dozens of different methods, contraptions, and not to mention all the different rooting compounds that you can buy at various local floral shops, and even hundreds more stores online. I've discovered an easy, cheap, and nearly guaranteed way to clone your best plants without all the hassle, gadgets, and most importantly money. Honey, unlike your rooting compound or heating pad for some hundred dollar cloning machine (a hundred dollars is actually an understatement) is cheap, and can be found at almost any local grocery store. I bought a modest size bottle for $1...come on, you can't beat that. Also for the amount of honey that you will need, you probably will have this bottle forever. Well, not forever, but you know what I mean, at least until the honey crystallizes, and if I recall correctly from my dorm room days, that takes about a year.
Before I go into the directions, I want to talk about the advantages of cloning a plant versus planting a new seed of the same plant. Of course, when you plant a new seed this ensures that the genetics of the plant is exactly the same. Depending on the size and health of the seed, it may grow slower or it may grow a little faster, but the qualities of the mother plant will definitely be there. When cloning however, I recommend that you find your biggest and healthiest looking cut-lings. This ensures that your clones are more genetically identical to your mother plant. You don't want your cut-lings to be small and weak looking, because that is reminiscent to how they may grow. Cloning also cuts down on the time it takes for a plant, otherwise planted from seed to germinate and develop into the vegetative stage, by at least 3-4 weeks!
When cloning with honey, you need four basic household supplies.
1. A pair of scissors or small handheld shears.
2. a piece of paper towel to douse your rubbing alcohol on.
3. Rubbing alcohol, because we're going to sterilize the scissors (nothing fancy, just wipe it down with alcohol and dry it off).
4. Honey.
<img src="
https://usercontent1.hubstatic.com/5853182_f520.jpg" width="520" height="292" alt="Rubbing Alcohol, Honey, Paper towel, and Scissors." title="Rubbing Alcohol, Honey, Paper towel, and Scissors." class="full"/>
Rubbing Alcohol, Honey, Paper towel, and Scissors. | Source
<img src="
https://usercontent2.hubstatic.com/5853197_f520.jpg" width="520" height="292" alt="1. We're going to want to cut off your clone from the mother plant by a 45 degree angle. From my experience it doesn't matter how long from a branch or how short, but the entire height of your cut-ling should be at least 3.5 inches." title="1. We're going to want to cut off your clone from the mother plant by a 45 degree angle. From my experience it doesn't matter how long from a branch or how short, but the entire height of your cut-ling should be at least 3.5 inches." class="full"/>
1. We're going to want to cut off your clone from the mother plant by a 45 degree angle. From my experience it doesn't matter how long from a branch or how short, but the entire height of your cut-ling should be at least 3.5 inches. | Source
<img src="
https://usercontent1.hubstatic.com/5853202_f120.jpg" width="120" height="214" alt="This is what your stem should look like." title="This is what your stem should look like." class="quarter"/>
This is what your stem should look like. | Source
<img src="
https://usercontent2.hubstatic.com/5853205_f120.jpg" width="120" height="214" alt="2. Next you're going to want to snip the center of the cut-ling stem, but not cutting more than half an inch upward. However, I've found the longer your cut-ling stem, the longer you may want to make your snippet(s) cut." title="2. Next you're going to want to snip the center of the cut-ling stem, but not cutting more than half an inch upward. However, I've found the longer your cut-ling stem, the longer you may want to make your snippet(s) cut." class="quarter"/>
2. Next you're going to want to snip the center of the cut-ling stem, but not cutting more than half an inch upward. However, I've found the longer your cut-ling stem, the longer you may want to make your snippet(s) cut. | Source
<img src="
https://usercontent2.hubstatic.com/5853213_f120.jpg" width="120" height="214" alt="3. Rotate the stem and put a couple more snippet cuts in the middle. Half of an inch up the stem should now look a little bit like a chew stick. But if it doesn't it's okay to put a couple more cuts in there. " title="3. Rotate the stem and put a couple more snippet cuts in the middle. Half of an inch up the stem should now look a little bit like a chew stick. But if it doesn't it's okay to put a couple more cuts in there. " class="quarter"/>
3. Rotate the stem and put a couple more snippet cuts in the middle. Half of an inch up the stem should now look a little bit like a chew stick. But if it doesn't it's okay to put a couple more cuts in there. | Source
<img src="
https://usercontent2.hubstatic.com/5853219_f120.jpg" width="120" height="214" alt="4. Dip the chew stick looking part of the stem into honey, covering the entire area that's been cut. Then simply place the stem into your prepared median (soil, water, rock-wool, etc) making sure the entire dipped part is now into your median." title="4. Dip the chew stick looking part of the stem into honey, covering the entire area that's been cut. Then simply place the stem into your prepared median (soil, water, rock-wool, etc) making sure the entire dipped part is now into your median." class="quarter"/>
4. Dip the chew stick looking part of the stem into honey, covering the entire area that's been cut. Then simply place the stem into your prepared median (soil, water, rock-wool, etc) making sure the entire dipped part is now into your median. | Source
Important things to remember
This process of using honey to clone works on nearly every median that you can think of. Water, soil, rock-wool, etc. If you are using hydroponics, you can simply place your stem in water, immediately after you dip it into honey, provided you have support for the cut-ling along with proper oxygen. If you are using soil, you will want to make sure your soil is at the right pH, getting adequate oxygen and is watered throughout. If you are using a rock-wool, you want to make sure that your hole prepared for the clone is deep enough to support your cut-ling, and your rock-wool is completed soaked in water with the right pH, however I don't stress the pH levels as much for hydroponics and the rock-wool (at least not yet). Support is important, treat the cut-lings as you would a baby seedling. If your cut-ling is 12 inches, then your rock-wool hole needs to be deep enough to support that height. Oxygen plays a key role in whichever median that you use. I have found that the method showing the best and quickest result is hydroponics, however if done correctly, this method will work in all medians. You will want to monitor your clones even still, give them at least 6 - 8 days to show signs of continued growth, and even some new growth before assuming that the cloning was successful. Honestly, I can tell by the next day. If a plant is not surviving, it will die within hours. If your cut-ling is still standing in the same shape and form from the previous day, and it has no signs of weakening or droopiness, it is safe to say that you are on your way to having a developing clone.
